Safety issues keep Greek school in Brussels shut

Work has gotten under way to address the significant safety issues that shut down the Kestekidion Greek School in Brussels on March 17, though it is unlikely that the building in the Saint-Gilles neighborhood will be ready for the next academic year.

In the meantime, the school’s 159 K-12 students may be accommodated at the International School of Brussels, which has granted the institution a few classrooms for the kindergarten and elementary classes, while the older pupils continue with remote learning.

“We had pointed out the problems but they were not addressed, so here we are,” Vassilis Myrkopoulos, the head of the school’s Parents and Guardians Association, tells Kathimerini.

Problems such as dated electrical wiring, no fire escape on the third floor and a boiler room near classrooms were first brought to the Greek Education Ministry’s attention in October.